MK Smotrich tweets for separating Jews from Arabs in maternity wards

Jewish Home MK Bezalel Smotrich takes to Twitter today to express support for separating Arab and Jewish mothers in maternity wards in Israeli hospitals.

“My wife is truly no racist, but after giving birth she wants to rest rather than have a hafla (a mass feast usually accompanied by music and dancing) like the Arabs have after their births” in the hospitals.

The tweet follows a report on Israel Radio Tuesday of hospitals acquiescing to the requests of mother in maternity wards to separate them from the other group.

Facing a torrent of criticism from left and right, including from his party leader, Education Minister Naftali Bennett, Smotrich goes a step further, tweeting that “It’s natural that my wife wouldn’t want to lie next to a woman who just gave birth to a baby who might want to murder her baby twenty years from now.”

MK Abd al-Hakim Hajj Yahya (Joint List) sends a letter to Knesset Speaker Yuli Edelstein in response to the comments, calling on him to relieve Smotrich from duty as a member of Knesset.

“This kind of racial incitement affects an entire population, and as such cannot be ignored,” Yahya writes.

MK Yoel Hasson (Zionist Union) challenges Smotrich on his claim that he “isn’t racist” but merely opposed to hafla celebrations.

“Some of our best friends are Jews who celebrate with particularly pleasant haflas,” Hasson tweeted. “I suggest you erase [your] racist tweet.”

— Daniel Douek